


How's the Heart?

by WolfSquish



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Accidental Baby Acquisition, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bisexual Harry Potter, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, M/M, Nonbinary Teddy Lupin, Not Epilogue Compliant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-31
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:35:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25636645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WolfSquish/pseuds/WolfSquish
Summary: What happens when circumstance leads to Draco and Harry raising a kid?
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, Teddy Lupin & Draco Malfoy, Teddy Lupin & Harry Potter
Comments: 28
Kudos: 219
Collections: Drarry Strugglefest 2020





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sallyapostrophes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sallyapostrophes/gifts).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a lot of fun to do! I ran with the prompt a little, but this is the first time I've written a full contained thing and finished it before posting. Currently unbetaed, but that will hopefully change soon.

"What is it this time?" Draco grumbled as he made his way to the small window of his room. After everything was said and done, he hadn't been left with much by his standards and he'd had to move away from Malfoy Manor, which now stood empty as his father had been Kissed and his mother had left the country after that, unable to bear the resemblance between father and son.

He'd isolated himself after that, believing himself to be too far gone to be fit for civilised society. For about a year now, the only letters he'd received had been of more reparations he needed to make. He made them without questions, without making his displeasure at never getting to heal known, but it was grating on him more and more as time went on. Perhaps his mother had had the right idea after all. 

The Ministry owl was all too familiar with his small house and flew off to a small section of what Draco used as his office where he'd set up a resting spot for his owl. There was no small amount of annoyance as he opened yet another official letter and mentally started to rearrange his day.

Dear Mr Malfoy,

It has come to our attention that on the night of August the 3rd, 2001, a magical child was left without a caretaker after the death of their grandmother. We have investigated this child's family tree and it has been determined that you are the child's next of kin.

This letter is to inform you of the child's imminent arrival at your place of residence at noon tomorrow. Enclosed is a stipend to prepare for the arrival in accordance with your current status as a former Death Eater.

Please tap your finger to the inside of the wax seal to reveal your charge's name. If you wish to dispute your status as next of kin, please reply within the hour.

We hope to have sufficiently informed you with this letter.

Hoping you are well,

Yours sincerely,

Pepper Striker

Child Protective Services Office Ministry of Magic

It had to be some kind of prank. There was just no way! He sat down at his desk heavily, then rubbed at his eyes, then looked at the letter again, reading it in more detail. Nope, it still was informing him of the fact that he was some poor sod's next of kin legally speaking. And the kid would be dropped off at his place the next day. 

He swallowed thickly a couple times before following the instructions in the letter to send a signal that he'd received the letter, which made the spell release the name of the kid; Teddy Lupin. 

"Oh Merlin, I am so completely stuffed."


	2. Chapter 1

The rest of the day passed in a blind panic of ordering parenting books and trying to figure out how in the hell he was going to be raising the Chosen One's godson. Wasn't this the exact situation godparents were for? So that kids wouldn't need to be living with complete strangers just because they were related by blood?

There was no way that Potter would allow him to raise his godson, even if he wanted to, yet Draco's hands were tied. He couldn't deny the Ministry anything until they deemed him as being sufficiently redeemed and he wasn't about to give up now that he was apparently to be trusted with the life of a child. The fact that becoming a parent wasn't even on his mind in the abstract just yet didn't matter, not to him and not to the Ministry.

All morning was spent running from shop to shop and arranging deliveries. Deliveries that were now piled up in his living room and making it impossible for him to even make it to the cloak rack to hang up his sweaty cloak. He needed a shower, badly and he had.... He glanced at the clock to find out he had about fifteen minutes left until the Ministry officials would be there with his charge, with his kid.

His stomach turned at that thought and he shook his head. This was temporary and he'd have to refund everything he'd bought and give back the money the Ministry had allotted him to care for the child Thinking of the kid, of Teddy, as his, was an exercise in futility. 

There was a knock at his door and he jumped, cursed himself for jumping, and then turned back to the door. He ran a hand through his hair and gulped as it was Weasley of all people dropping the kid off. Why was a Junior Auror involved in this? "Weasley." He said with a cool nod as he opened the door as far as it could just then. 

Weasley must have been told not to comment on anything as he looked constipated at the mess for a second while adjusting his hold on Teddy's hand. The boy was silent as he sucked on his thumb and stared up at Draco. At least he wasn't crying. Yet. 

"I'm supposed to have you sign a bunch of stuff, can you clear a path?" Draco couldn't tell if the look on Weasley's face was disgust at how ill-prepared he was, or jealousy from the fact that Draco had the funds, Ministry provided or not, to get all of that sorted in a day. 

Draco sighed, took off his cloak, and hung it over his arm. "The Ministry hasn't allowed me wand privileges yet." He said through gritted teeth, fully expecting Weasley to take advantage of that fact, but his surprised him by simply nodding and pulling out his wand to stack the packages neatly against the walls. 

"This way." Draco said as he hung up his cloak and then moved to what he referred to as his study, though he would now have to sacrifice it to be a room for Teddy. He groaned internally at the thought he'd have to redecorate on top of everything, but outwardly made sure his face was blank. 

Weasley didn't comment further as he went through the papers with Draco and then left. 

Which left Draco to take care of the toddler in front of him, sucking on his thumb and staring up at him with big blue eyes. The exact same colour he saw in the mirror. Right. His cousin had been a metamorphmagus. He'd forgotten about that, and was more than a little unnerved that the boy was mimicking him. 

It made sense though; his parents had been dead years now, and only now was he ending up with his supposed next of kin? That didn't sound like a good idea. "Hey, do you want to draw?" He hadn't had the time to set anything up, so all he could do to keep the boy busy was to offer parchment and hope he was able to entertain himself.

Teddy however shook his head and his chin wobbled as he glanced around the strange room and the strange man in front of him. Draco's panic spiked immediately. What in the name of Merlin's saggy ball sack was he supposed to do if he started to cry? 

Draco paced back and forth a little before groaning as Teddy started to sniffle. He was going to need help, he realised. And he didn't have anyone left to ask. Everyone he'd been friendly with had either been imprisoned or left the country. The only person he could think of that might not turn him away was the Weasley matriarch. And that was a bitter pill to swallow. 

But if it got him his wand back, if he got to actually live his life, even with the addition of a surprise child, he'd swallow it and ask for seconds. Actually, from what he'd heard about her, she'd offer seconds. 

He nodded to himself and found his cloak again in the mess before shouldering the bag Weasley had given him to tide them over until they managed to get some more clothes for Teddy. Without needing to say or do anything, Teddy moved with him and grabbed on to his cloak. 

Draco had to do a double take. It was much more trust than he had expected, or was comfortable with. He swallowed thickly and nodded to the boy, feeling like he should smile, or say something encouraging, or even pat his head, or something. Instead he gestured towards the fireplace and wrote a quick message to the Ministry to explain where and why he was travelling. 

A small jar of Floo powder was sent back and he breathed a small sigh of relief; he didn't know what he'd do if he was denied travelling to ask for help. He unscrewed the lid and shook the meagre amount of powder into the palm of his hand. 

He stepped forward, or at least tried to, but Teddy had latched on to his leg, now looking up at him with pleading eyes, as if he was scared to be left alone. "You're coming." He said simply. As if he'd leave a toddler alone in his house for any amount of time. 

He threw the powder into his fireplace and together they stepped through. Draco hadn't been in the Burrow before, but Teddy very clearly had; he let out a happy sound before racing off in the direction of what Draco assumed to be the kitchen judging by the smells coming from that direction. "Gamma!" 

Draco's eyebrows rose to his hairline for a moment.  _ Grandma. _ Well, that was just perfect, wasn't it? Not only the chosen one's godson, but also Mrs Weasley's grandson. He was so incredibly fucked. 

"Teddy?" Mrs Weasley's voice carried as he slowly followed the delicious smells. "I'm sorry to barge in like this." He said softly, though as he took in the scene in front of him, he just wanted to turn around and leave. Mr and Mrs Weasley were doting on their grandchild, a pot of something bubbling on the hob. They looked like a family, and far more qualified to take care of Teddy than Draco could ever hope to be. And he wasn't sure he hoped to be for the right reasons, which might come back to bite him in the arse at some point. 

Mr Weasley peered at him over his glasses for a moment before clearing his throat and leaving the kitchen. Draco wanted to flee with him as he noticed the look on Mrs Weasley's face as she wrapped her arms around Teddy and pulled him into her lap. He briefly compared this to sitting in his parents' dining room and being late to a meeting with Voldemort, and couldn't decide which had been more terrifying. 

Mrs Weasley just stared at him for a long moment before gesturing for him to sit down. She pointed her wand at a pot of tea, which poured them both a cup, and then told Teddy to find his grandpa. "And don't let him mess with that lectricts stuff!" She called after the pitter-patter of the boy's receding footsteps.

Draco cleared his throat before sipping his tea, not sure how to even begin to formulate asking her for help. "We wondered what would happen to Teddy. No one was allowed to tell us." Was the first thing she said to him. And how could he respond to that? 

"I would have expected your son to tell you." Was what he ended up saying. "He was the one to drop Teddy off." 

"What the bloody hell are you doing here, Malfoy?" Potter spoke behind him, having just come home from work, still in his Junior Auror uniform. 

Draco jumped and turned so he could keep the both of them in eye shot. "I'm Teddy's next of kin." He said as calmly as he could manage, while Mrs Weasley scolded Harry for his language and poured him a cup of tea as well. 

"Sit down, Harry, dear." She added pointedly as Harry seemed to be gearing up for a fight instead. Thankfully, he obeyed her and sank into a chair, though he was obviously still ready to jump up for a fight any minute. 

Merlin's balls, he was going to have to ask for help in front of Potter, wasn't he? He sighed and rubbed at his arm, which ached at times. Probably not the smartest move, as Potter now loosely held his wand in one hand. 

"As I said." Draco started before clearing his throat again. "The Ministry has determined that I am Teddy's next of kin. Which is a rather shitty way to find out your aunt's dead, by the way." That fact hadn't sunk in yet, but then again, his relationship with Andromeda had been new and fragile still. "So I am to raise him, and I haven't got a clue how to. I got some supplies, so he'll have a bed and clothes and such, but I didn't get the chance to set that up, and I don't even know where to start on keeping him busy or with things like food." He spread his hands and let out a sigh.

"I'm in over my head, and I don't know anyone who's done a better job at raising her children." He was looking directly at Molly now, though keeping eye contact was hard when she was tearing up. He didn't think something that was such a clear cut fact could be touching, but then he wasn't a Gryffindor.

Potter scoffed while Mrs Weasley dabbed at her eyes. "Of course we'll help you." She said before gesturing to Harry to get to his feet and go out the back door. Draco supposed he wasn't meant to hear the next part, but sound carried. Or rather, Mrs Weasley's voice did. 

"I don't care! Harry, he is Teddy's family! Yes, I know you're his godfather, but you're working long hours every day! You can't take care of Teddy! Arthur and I can't either! And we're not going to turn our back on Teddy just because Malfoy used to be your rival! He has worked so hard for so long, even Ron doesn't hold a grudge any more and frankly I am disgusted you'd think your grudge more important than taking care of Teddy!"

It was strangely humbling to have the Weasley matriarch defend him so passionately when he'd looked down on her and her family for most of his life. He sipped his tea and looked around the cluttered, rustic kitchen as the argument outside continued, trying his hardest to pretend he wasn't hearing any of it. 

He'd served himself a second cup of tea by the time Mrs Weasley and Potter came back inside. Both were flushed and Potter wasn't looking at her as he sat down at the kitchen table with a sullen expression on his face. 

"I don't trust you." He said, glaring at Draco and sighing when Mrs Weasley cleared her throat pointedly. "But I love Teddy, and I know how to take care of him. So I'll come stay with you to help you." Potter looked like he'd swallowed a lemon, and Draco was fairly certain he did too.

"No, you're not." He shook his head as he tried not to panic. Potter in his house while he still was without his wand? Might as well just ask to be killed. There was no way he was going to get a second of sleep while he was defenseless like that. 

"I don't trust you with  _ my _ godson." Potter said through clenched teeth.

"And I don't trust you not to kill me in my sleep!" Draco yelled back, losing his temper for the first time, which he honestly thought was impressive considering it all. 

He closed his eyes tightly and breathed in and out deeply. "I didn't ask to take care of him, but I have to. And I can't take care of anyone if the person 'helping' me is just as likely to kill me! So thanks but no thanks. I'm sorry to have wasted your time, Mrs Weasley." 

And with that, he got to his feet and went to find Teddy. He had a house to reorder and furniture to put together. "Malfoy, wait." 

It was Mrs Weasley, a kind expression on her face. "I'll come over now to help you get things sorted at least." She said as she passed him by to talk to Arthur, who was showing Teddy his prized rubber duck collection.

After a whispered conversation, all three of them came over to him and Teddy actually reached for his hand. Draco was too shocked at that to even think about pulling it away. 

Draco went through the floo first, speaking a little louder than he usually would so the Weasley couple could hear and follow him through. He made sure to make space for them, then scowled when Potter was the first to come through the fireplace.

"What are you doing here?" He asked sharply as Potter dug his hands into his pockets. Potter didn't answer as Mr and Mrs Weasley stepped through in quick succession. 

"Well, let's get started, shall we?" 


	3. Chapter 2

Somehow both he and Potter were still alive by the time all his purchases had been set up, and put away in logical spaces. Potter had spent most of the time entertaining Teddy while Draco had directed Mr Weasley to move things and Mrs Weasley had told him how to set things up to help things run as smoothly as possible.

Draco was so incredibly in over his head, but there wasn't a whole lot he could do about that just then other than to listen to Mrs Weasley and hope that somehow he'd retain all the information she was giving him.

"Come on dears, I'll cook dinner." Mrs Weasley said. Draco glanced at the clock to find out that it was soon to be time for dinner, and that he had no energy at all to cook. Not cooking wasn't an option so long as he was taking care of Teddy though, he knew. 

So he nodded and wiped at his forehead, surprised to find it completely soaked with sweat. He looked for Teddy, and had to swallow down a well of.... something as he found him tucked away in Potter's arms. He waited for Potter to step through the floo before following.

He managed to relax a little when Potter put Teddy down on the floor to play with some blocks. Then neither he nor Potter had the chance to do much of anything else; Mrs Weasley put them both to work to help make dinner. 

There was an awkward moment as he had to again point out that he had no wand and had to do things the Muggle way, but luckily Mrs Weasley was able to switch tracks and show him how to help with her elaborate meal that she called 'whipping something up'. It wasn't the fine dining he'd been used to growing up, but it still involved way more skill than he ever would have thought.

Soon, there was nothing left to do but wait. Mr Weasley had set the table as they worked, and everyone had been provided drinks at one point, though Draco had missed who had done so as he'd been very focused on not fucking up what should have been a simple task, though apparently cleaning brussels sprouts was easier said than done. The secret, Mrs Weasley told him, was to score every individual stem so they would cook faster.

Now, he sat with his hands wrapped around a mug of tea, awkwardly tapping his thumbs on the rim. Potter resumed his glaring at him, and Mr and Mrs Weasley exchanged glances with each other in between entertaining Teddy, who had demanded to join the grown up table when he'd gotten bored with his blocks. 

The boy didn't seem to pick up on the tension on the other side of the table, nor the hurt looks Potter was sending his way at the fact that he still looked a lot like Draco, though there was a slightly red tinge to his hair now that he was getting so much Weasley attention.

Mrs Weasley was an amazing cook, and part of Draco actually had the urge to ask her to teach him. Even if he'd actually thought that was a good idea though, Potter's dark looks, and even Mr Weasley's wary looks would have stopped him from actually asking. 

"So, Malfoy, what have you been doing since the last time we saw you?" The last time they'd seen each other was at his trial. The trial with the chair with the shackles that hadn't been able to decide if they should chain him down or not. It would've been less unnerving if they'd just tied him down. 

"I've kept busy." He answered the quite obviously last ditch effort at small talk. "There's a nearby Muggle community garden, I've been trying to grow some stuff there. Just herbs, you know?" He supposed he had to at least give them something; they'd been very courteous to him considering everything. Then again, courteousness towards him consisted mostly of not being hexed on sight. 

Both Mr and Mrs Weasley were suddenly very interested in what he had to say; "So do you use tectrocity a lot?" Mr Weasley asked at the exact same moment that Mrs Weasley asked "What herbs, dear? I do hope basil, and garlic?" It almost felt comfortable, though of course Potter cleared his throat loudly before pointedly checking on the pot on the hob.

"No, I don't need  _ electricity _ ." He told Mr Weasley, deciding that correcting him that way was the most diplomatic he could do just then. And wasn't that a weird thought; him actually knowing more about Muggles than the family he'd been taught to look down on for the majority of his life for their love for Muggles. "I do use a garden hose at times though. Much slower than just using a quick aguamenti, of course."

Then he turned to Mrs Weasley. "I'm hoping for those, yes. It was a mixed seed packet though, so I'm not sure what's going to come up. I've only been allo-" He cut himself off. The last thing he wanted was for Potter to know just how little breathing room he'd been given until pretty recently. How little breathing room he was allowed even now.

He cleared his throat. "I haven't been aware of the place for very long. I just hope that I'm not too late, the organiser told me she usually advises things to be sown at least a month before I first dropped by."

Having the Weasleys actually listen to what he said was strange, it was undeniable. It made him wonder if things could have been different if he'd been around them more when he was little. 

Conversation actually flowed between the three of them after that, with gleeful interruptions from Teddy, and sullen ones from Potter. Though eventually, the latter seemed to give up when Draco didn't rise to the bait even once, not even when Potter managed to hit sore spot after sore spot and his nostrils flared with his deep breaths.

"Right, time to eat." Mrs Weasley interrupted another of Potter's hissed comments with a Look his way that drove home just how used she was to dealing with unruly, sullen, children. 

It hadn't really dawned on Draco before then that the Weasleys really did consider Potter to be one of them, and that the feeling was mutual. Potter had not one, but two families that wanted him. Draco still wasn't entirely convinced he'd been wanted. Needed for the continuation of the bloodline, sure, and he didn't doubt his parents loved him. But he couldn't deny that their lives would've been happier without him in it. That wasn't regret at being born, just an acknowledgement that his parents didn't like being parents.

He grew quiet as they ate, growing more uncomfortable by the minute as it sunk in more and more how out of place he was. He was sure no one could tell that though; they didn't know him, and they wouldn't get to know him either. 

"Thank you, Mrs Weasley, dinner was lovely. And thank all of you for your help." He said once the food had been eaten and the dishes had been set to wash themselves. "But I think it is time for bed for a certain yawning boy." 

Teddy quickly hid behind his hands, though the yawn was too loud for that to do much. It still surprised Draco though that his words carried enough weight for the boy to say goodbye to Mrs and Mr Weasley before crawling into Potter's lap. There was a whispered conversation before Teddy pouted as he walked over to Draco, lower lip trembling.

"Oh no, no don't do that." Draco's eyes grew wide as Teddy stuck a thumb in his mouth and looked between Potter and Draco. 

"Hawwy cwom woo?" Teddy's eyes were wide, brimming with unspilled tears that no doubt would come streaming out as soon as Draco denied the request. Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place. He couldn't say no or he'd have no peace until Teddy tired himself out, and he couldn't say yes or he'd have no peace on account of Potter trying to murder him in his sleep. 

"Accio wand." Mrs Weasley's voice almost went unheard. The yelp from Potter as two different wands were yanked out of their holsters and flew into her hands however filled the kitchen. "There. Now you're on equal footing." She smiled warmly to them while Potter ground his teeth together almost audibly. "You can come by in the morning before you go to work to collect them." She added as she ushered them both towards the fireplace, with Teddy hanging on to Draco's robes.

There was nothing for it but to go home. Once he'd stepped through to his own living room, Draco was sorely tempted to slide the grate down that was the only way he had of preventing people from coming into his home, but before he could do more than muse on it, Potter stepped through. 

"Sofa." Draco said curtly as he took Teddy's hand and walked with him into what had been his office 24 hours ago. Now it was a child's bedroom, and he sighed softly as awkwardly went through the process of helping Teddy get ready for bed. He wasn't sure the boy still needed a diaper, but he'd been wearing one when he was dropped off. He was even less sure of having put on the new one correctly. 

It took an embarrassingly long time to go through it all, but in the end they managed and Teddy was safely tucked into bed. A very weird feeling settled over him as he pulled the door to Teddy's room shut behind him to find Potter standing right outside, waiting for him.

"He's my godson." Potter stated flatly. 

"I'm aware. That doesn't change the fact that the Ministry has determined I'm to care for him." Draco pointed out, both his tone and expression failing to convey just how unimpressed he was with the Gryffindor. 

Potter let out a frustrated groan and shook his head. "I'm not-" He rubbed at his forehead. "I don't want to be his father. But I want to be in his life, and I don't, I  _ can't _ trust you to take care of him. I don't know what to do. I want to trust you with him, I want to believe you've changed. And the only way I can think of to do that is to stay here and to see for myself."

Draco raised an eyebrow. "You could get over yourself, and your ridiculous saviour thing." He said bluntly, even less impressed now. "I don't have to prove myself to you. I'm sorry you have so little trust in the system you helped build, but that's your problem, not mine. You want to crash on my sofa so badly? Go ahead, no auror will kick you out for me and we both know it. But you won't get to see who I am, and if you don't fuck off, I  _ will _ make sure you don't get to see Teddy grow up either because someone who can't even respect the most basic of boundaries shouldn't be around children!"

He hadn't meant to be shouting at the end, but he was, loud enough that they both held their breaths to make sure that Teddy hadn't heard. "You need to leave. If you want to be in his life then you'll bring lunch Friday and we won't see you until then at all."

Potter narrowed his eyes. "Wednesday." Draco rolled his eyes and nodded his agreement. It was late on a Monday now, that was a fair enough compromise, and way more give from Potter than he'd been expecting. 


	4. Chapter 3

Surprisingly, Potter did stay away. Maybe something Draco said had actually sunk in, or maybe Mrs Weasley had ripped into him again. But it suited Draco just fine; he and Teddy were starting to get to know each other.

They'd even had a couple fights that Draco had to check in with Mrs Weasley were not in fact signs that Teddy hated him, but simply a part of parenting. She'd been such a help and honestly Draco thought he might have drowned if she hadn't been around to help him.

What he didn't like was that he'd started to sniffle as Tuesday went by. Teddy was honestly adorable in bringing him tissues all day, and telling him to wash his hands a lot. His aunt had done a good job to raise the boy so far and honestly that was just so much more pressure.

By the time Wednesday rolled around, the sniffles had settled into a head cold that made his head pound. Teddy's voice was like nails on a chalkboard during a hangover, but he forced himself to not react beyond grimacing and letting the boy know he wasn't feeling too well. Teddy nodded very seriously and was blessedly quiet during breakfast, then asked for some paper so he could colour and settled at his little desk, quietly talking to himself. He looked over his shoulder to make sure that Draco was still there every now and again and that was enough for him to keep himself occupied. 

Draco moved to lie down on the sofa with the biggest mug of tea he could find and a cold cloth for his eyes. The next thing he knew, Teddy was loudly telling someone that Draco had a headache and they needed to be quiet. It was a sign of how far and how fast he'd come that Draco appreciated the thought more than was annoyed about the pain it caused him.

He moved the cloth on his eyes and squinted an eye open to find Potter standing awkwardly near his kitchen table with a lunch that so very obviously was Mrs Weasley made. Still, not having to cook sounded so good to Draco, so he sat up. And promptly laid back down again as his world spun violently.

"I think you  _ actually _ went green there." The grin was audible in Potter's voice as there was a rustling sound. probably Potter putting the bag down and then footsteps coming closer. 

"Screw you Potter." Draco whispered as he felt a bit of wind that he assumed was Potter now standing next to the sofa. 

"Can't be that bad then." Potter concluded from roughly the spot Draco thought he was standing. "But really, you don't look too hot." 

"Your observational skills astound me." Draco snarked as he opened an eye to squint up at Potter. He was expecting a mocking expression, or perhaps pity, but Potter was just looking at him. 

"I didn't know you got migraines." Potter said before sitting down on the salon table and resting his elbows on his knees.

"That's not what this is." Was it though? Draco couldn't actually be sure, the sniffles could be unrelated. It was less likely that they were though, and with his fairly isolated lifestyle, it made a lot more sense that he'd picked something up from Teddy. 

Potter didn't argue, which honestly had to be a first, and got to his feet again. "Can you make it to the table or do you need to be brought lunch?" He moved towards the table, which Teddy had climbed on top of to get at the lunch, completely covered in the ink he'd been using to draw things to colour. 

Draco pulled a face at Potter and moved to the table, though as he sat down he needed to hang on to the table to make his world stop spinning. "I'm fine." He said, though the gulp that followed made that claim rather unbelievable. 

Teddy abandoned the bag and crawled to Draco instead, offering an ink stained tissue. "You need a shower." Draco murmured as he took the tissue, though his nose wasn't sniffly at all anymore.

Draco winced at the loud shout of 'NO' that Teddy let out almost in his ear before scrambling off the table and hiding behind Harry, who'd been watching them with an unreadable expression on his face. Draco blamed his failure to read the Boy-Who-Wore-His-Heart-On-His-Sleeve's expression on being sick. 

"You're lucky grandma likes you." Potter told Teddy as he started to unpack the lunch; sandwiches and soup. Draco used the tissue Teddy had given him meanwhile to wipe away the worst of the ink so at least everything wouldn't be stained. He'd probably still need to use magic to get rid of all the ink at some point though. 

Draco wouldn't say it, but he quietly admitted to himself that at least while he was sick, having someone around to help, even just to bring meals, made life a lot easier. He might even have admitted it out loud if it had been anyone other than Potter. 

They were mostly quiet while they ate, with Teddy mostly amusing himself with dropping bits of sandwich into the soup. His mother would have had a conniption if she'd seen it, but Draco was just glad that most of the food was actually contained in either crockery or the boy's mouth.

Draco himself was slouched over his bowl, slowly sipping soup and eyeing the sandwiches warily. He was hungry, but at the same time actually eating sounded like a really bad idea.

"Why don't you go lay down?" Potter said with a tilt of his head. "I can't take half days off, so I can look after Teddy." 

Draco gave Potter the side eye at that. "We're doing just fine, and I still don't trust you." He reminded him before turning back to the soup. 

Potter rolled his eyes but nodded as he polished off a sandwich in just a few bites. "Right, well, Mrs Weasley will have my head if I don't check up on you two around dinner time, so I'll be back then." He announced as he got to his feet and started to do the washing up, including trying to scrub ink off of Teddy a little more.

"Or you could just not bother." Draco said, his voice crackling like a log in a fire before he coughed with a wince. 

Potter turned to him with an annoyed expression, which gave Teddy a chance to escape the cleaning session. Of course he ran straight for the ink, and pretty much doused himself in it before running back to Draco. "Look! I'm blue!"

Draco groaned and rubbed at his temples as he nodded. "You're going into the shower is what you are." He muttered as he dragged himself to his feet and took Teddy's hand. 

"No! No shower! Don't want!" Teddy protested, though he didn't dig in his heels or drag his feet as Draco started to march him towards the bathroom. Draco wobbled though, and Teddy managed to pull away again. 

"Malfoy. You need help. I will spell you to your bed if I need to." Couldn't Potter just fuck off? They'd been fine before he showed up and everything had gone wrong since he dropped in. 

"Go lie down. You're not proving anything to anyone by being stubborn." The dizziness just got worse and in the end decided for Draco; he almost fell over and actually needed to hand on to a wall to keep upright. 

"That's what I thought." Potter said with a nod as Draco slowly made his way back to the sofa and sat down with a groan. 

He didn't even mean to lie down, but somehow he blinked and it was hours later. Potter and Teddy were sat on the floor, playing a board game. Potter must have put up a silencing bubble; Draco couldn't hear them. 

"What time is it?" He asked as he sat up, feeling somewhat better but already ready to go to bed. 

Teddy came running over with another tissue while Potter informed him it was about dinner time. "Hey, you're not blue anymore." Draco told Teddy, who cackled and promptly turned his skin blue entirely. 

"Mrs Weasley has invited you two over for dinner, if you want." Potter said as he finished packing up the board game and got to his feet. Dinner needed to happen, but Draco didn't think he'd make it over to the Burrow. Staying meant at least cooking for Teddy. And he didn't trust Potter to actually bring Teddy back if he let the boy go have dinner with his family.

He must have looked every bit as stuck as he felt as Potter walked over and picked Teddy up. "I'll ask her if she can move things here." He said while putting Teddy in his high chair and then apparating away with a crack that felt like a sledgehammer to his forehead. 

With a groan, he flopped back down on the sofa, putting the cold cloth back on his eyes, though he knew he wouldn't have long before the circus came in. If he'd felt even a little bit better, he would have protested even them coming here, but the thought of having to shout to be heard over Potter's crap made him want to vomit. 

His fireplace roared to live and he sat up slowly again, so he'd at least be sitting up when they all came marching in. He was surprised again though; it was just Mrs Weasley, and possibly the largest pot of stew he'd ever seen. He got to his feet slowly, but Mrs Weasley tutted and gestured for him to stay put.

She got Teddy to eating and then moved over to the chair opposite the sofa with the pot of stew and got both herself and Draco a large bowl. "Are you okay, dear?" She asked kindly as she handed him a bread roll. 

Draco gave a shrug at that. There wasn't really a polite answer he could give, and an honest one wasn't one he was willing to give. "I've been worse." He eventually settled on. He wasn't managing to eat a lot and his head was swimming and really he just wanted to curl up in bed, but it was hours until Teddy's bedtime. 

Mrs Weasley let out a disapproving hum but didn't comment as she had another bowl of the stew, which was of course utterly delicious. Draco sighed as he put his bowl on the table and nibbled on the bread roll. 

"That was delicious, thank you." He said quietly, though he'd not even had half of his bowl. 

Mrs Weasley beamed at him, despite all of it, and got to her feet. The rest of the stew went into some containers he hadn't even seen her come in with and into his fridge, and the remaining bread rolls went into a basket on his counter top. 

"Now off to bed with you. I'll be out here with Teddy until his bedtime." Mrs Weasley crossed her arms, and honestly there wasn't anything he could do or say that would make a difference, so he just nodded with a groan. 

He ruffled Teddy's hair on his way to his bedroom and crashed face first into bed, asleep before he even managed to get under the duvet, or even get his clothes off. 

When he woke up, he took off his clothes and put on pyjama bottoms before quietly padding to the kitchen to grab some water. He was at least feeling less dizzy, though his head was still pounding. 

"Oh!" A loud clang sounded from the dinner table; Potter was sitting there in the dark, tinkering away at something.

"What are you doing here?" Draco asked, startled. Potter seemed to be staring at his chest, which was a very strange thing to be doing, wasn't it? Break into someone's home, use their kitchen table for tinkering, and then stare at their chest when they catch you in the act. 

"Do they hurt?" Potter asked quietly as he stepped closer and traced one of the scars on his chest, one of the scars that Potter had put there in sixth year.

"Sometimes." Draco said as he took a step back, shivering at the electric charge that seemed to have filled the kitchen. 

Potter cleared his throat and nodded. "I just wanted to be sure you were okay." He said before frowning. "You and Teddy, I mean."

"We're fine. Go home." Draco said, wondering when he'd stepped into an alternate universe where Potter seemed to even vaguely care. 

"Right." Potter said with a nod before swallowing thickly. "I- Can I come back tomorrow night? I really want to spend some more time with Teddy. I'll bring dinner?" 

Draco meanwhile had filled a glass of water and was sipping it slowly, wondering where Potter was going with things. "Better be some really good dinner."

Potter nodded again before offering an awkward smile and leaving, this time actually getting out the door before he apparated. Draco drained his glass and went back to bed, very bemused with Potter's actions. 


	5. Chapter 4

Somehow, Draco's brain wasn't letting go of the strange bemusement at Potter's actions even through sleeping and waking up the next morning. 

He did feel somewhat better, good enough to actually chat with Teddy about all the drawing and colouring he'd done the day before when Draco had been sleeping through most of the day. Over breakfast, they picked out their favourite and put it up on the fridge. It wasn't a thing Draco would have thought of on his own, but Teddy had insisted, and he didn't see a reason not to.

So now the picture of turquoise haired stick figure Teddy doodling on yellow haired stick figure Draco with spiky black haired stick figure Harry face palming in the background was on the fridge. 

Breakfast was had, and in the process of helping Draco wash up very messily, Teddy got an impromptu sink shower. He would have needed a shower after breakfast anyway and this way he wouldn't have to fight him on the whole shower thing. 

After all that, Draco made a beeline for the sofa again. He was feeling loads better compared to the day before, but doing anything of use still was beyond him. So he picked up a book he'd been reading on and off. 

Teddy crawled up on the sofa with him, lying half on top of him. "Story time?" He asked hopefully, again looking like a carbon copy of Draco. Draco couldn't decide if he thought it was cute or creepy. Both, he decided as he started to read out the story to him, though Teddy lost interest after about two pages and went to play with his cars instead.

It was strange to Draco, that Teddy, even when playing on his own, chose to stay so close; he was underneath the table, making car sounds as he pushed the cars along the edge of the rug almost underneath the sofa. 

It was strangely peaceful, in a way that his parents had led him to believe life with kids never could be. He may have napped a bit off and on, until sniffling woke him up properly. 

"Hey, what's wrong?" Draco asked as he sat up and put the book away on the table to find Teddy on his stomach underneath it with his head buried in his arms. Teddy just shook his head and continued to cry, his little shoulders shaking though the noise level continued to stay so low that Draco was surprised it'd woken him up at all.

Draco hummed to himself as he tried to think of what to do before leaning back and pretending to yawn. Teddy peeked up from behind his arms for a moment before getting back to his crying.

"I'm going to make some tea, do you want any?" Draco said as he got to his feet and shuffled into the kitchen. Teddy normally wasn't allowed tea just yet and it was enough of a distraction that Teddy crawled out from under the table and joined Draco in the kitchen. "My mother always made me drink tea whenever I was upset, do you think it will help you?" Draco asked as he boiled the kettle before lifting Teddy up on the counter.

Teddy looked constipated as he tried to think about that and wiped at his face with his sleeve. "Let's find out, huh?" Draco wiped Teddy's face clean with a tissue before making him blow his nose. 

Slowly, he went through the steps of making tea, showing Teddy how to do it, though he didn't expect for even a minute that Teddy would remember it. He could guess at what had the boy upset, but he wouldn't, and he didn't think talking about it would help. 

But this worked well enough to at least distract him; he wasn't sniffling anymore and now he was watching Draco make the tea as if it was the most fascinating thing he'd ever seen. 

"Apple?" Draco suggested as he glanced at the clock and noticed it was about time for some food to go into their stomachs. Teddy nodded 

with half his fist in his mouth before jumping off the counter and moving to sit at the table.

Draco carefully put their cups on the table and cut an apple into parts for Teddy while grabbing a muesli bar for himself to munch on. "Be careful. The tea's still very warm, eat your apple first." He almost wished someone else was there, to share the face that Teddy was sure to pull at tasting the tea, but there wasn't. He wasn't sure how to feel about that either. 

He was pulled out of his thoughts by the sounds of Teddy trying out the tea and promptly gagging at the taste. He hid a smirk behind his cup and sipped his own tea before letting out a satisfied sigh. 

Teddy frowned as he looked between the tea and Draco before sighing heavily. "How about some milk instead?" Draco said as he raised an eyebrow. Teddy gave a grateful nod and pushed the tea towards Draco with a guilty expression.

"I don't like tea." Teddy informed Draco while Draco poured a glass of milk for Teddy and sat back down opposite him.

Draco nodded and sipped his tea again. "That's okay." He said as Teddy gulped down milk and pulled a face. "But it did help you, didn't it?" Draco pointed out. Teddy gave him a betrayed look. 

"You cheated!" Teddy said, affronted at having been tricked into calming down. Draco just raised his cup of tea in a salute before draining the last of it. 

The rest of the afternoon was spent in the same way the day had gone so far; with Draco reading and Teddy playing with his cars, though this time pointedly staying as far away from Draco as he could possibly be while still staying in the living room with him. 

"Potter." He said as he got to his feet and found Teddy and Potter at the kitchen table, boxes of Chinese food between them, though Teddy seemed to be wearing most of the one with the noodles.

Potter looked up and waved at him with chopsticks, chewing quickly. "You sound happy to see me." He said, not a trace of sarcasm in his voice. It made Draco stop short in his movement to sit down. Was he happy to see Potter?

He decided it didn't matter; he was hungry and there was food laid out for him. He quietly started to eat, amused as Teddy scooted in his chair until he was facing away from Draco and to Potter entirely. Potter raised a curious eyebrow but didn't comment on it. 

Draco waved at Potter with his chopsticks in an attempt to convey that he didn't need to worry about it and returned to his food. There was some spicyness to some of the dishes and they were just perfect for him to get his nose cleared out. His headache seemed to be sweating away, leaving a burning mouth and bone deep tiredness behind. 

"Go lie back down. Me and Teddy can do the dishes, can't we, Teds?" Teddy nodded happily at Potter before hesitantly looking to Draco. 

"You still cheated." He said in a huff. Draco just nodded at Potter and managed a laugh at Teddy's pouty words as he snagged up the last spring roll and made his way to the sofa. 

He made himself comfortable on the sofa and picked up his book, though the sounds of Potter and Teddy playing as they did the dishes and then moved to the rug to play another board game were too distracting. 

And the sight was honestly kind of mesmerising too. He'd never actually seen Potter in a situation like this. Relaxed, and without the whole Quidditch shebang, but instead almost... tender? It made something inside Draco unfurl, in a way he couldn't remember happening before. Probably just residual sickness. 

He saw Teddy yawn and checked the time before putting the book away again, this time carefully marking his place before setting it to the side. "Time to go brush your teeth."

Teddy pulled a face but nodded, helping Potter put away the game before moving to the bathroom to brush his teeth. 

"You've been spending lots of time with him, haven't you?" Draco asked Potter, who nodded as he crossed his legs underneath him, apparently happy to stay on the rug. 

"Every chance I get. The week between Andy...well, that, and him being dropped here was one of the longest of my life." Potter said softly. "I'm sorry, by the way. I know she was your aunt."

It was... strange, to actually talk to Potter as if they were peers instead of enemies. Easier in some ways, but also harder. "Thank you." He said with a nod before rolling his head, his neck giving off a loud crack as he did. He let out a soft groan as he rubbed at his neck, and then caught Potter looking at him the same way he'd done the night before, when he'd asked about his scars. 

It dawned on him then that he'd seen that look on Potter's face before. He'd just been looking at the Weaselette then. Potter wasn't straight? And was attracted to him? That was... interesting. 

"All done!" Teddy chirped as he ran out of the bathroom and straight to Draco to show off his minty teeth. After Draco nodded his approval, he grabbed both Draco's and Potter's hands. "Story time?" He asked them both with pleading eyes. 

Draco and Potter actually shared a look at that, and wasn't that just the weird cherry on the strange ice cream? They both got to their feet though and moved to Teddy's bedroom to tuck him in and tell him a story.

And another. And another. 

Draco's voice gave out before Teddy was satisfied and too sleepy to demand more stories and Draco and Potter left the bedroom to sink onto the sofa with matching groans. 

"I thought he'd never go to sleep." Potter said as he stretched slowly. Draco lazily traced the movements, his eyes lingering for a moment on the strip of skin that showed up just above Potter's waistband as he wondered if that was Potter making a move. He doubted Potter would be that subtle, though. 

"Me neither." Draco said, though his voice was barely audible. All the talking to tell Teddy stories had really done a number on the cold he had, so he dragged himself to his feet to make himself a cup of tea with honey.

"Hey, Malfoy? Can I call you Draco?" Potter's voice came from a lot closer than he was expecting it and he almost poured hot water over his hand as he startled, though Potter was a safe distance away still. His heart pounded as he carefully finished making his tea and moved to the side so Potter could fix himself a cup if he wanted to, but Potter just continued to look at him curiously.

"I suppose?" Draco said hesitantly, though the something that had unfurled in him earlier seemed to warm up at the idea of Potter calling him Draco, which he didn't really want to examine any closer.

He moved back to the sofa, his hands wrapped around the honeyed tea as he leaned back with a sigh. Potter moved back to sit on the other end of the sofa. "Maybe you're not so bad, Draco." Potter admitted quietly.

Draco just gave a non-committal hum and sipped his tea, staring into his fireplace, and the regular fire burning inside. Halfway through his cup of tea, he was startled again by Potter, though this time in a very different way; he'd fallen asleep and slid sideways until he was laying against Draco's shoulder.

He should move away. Finish his tea elsewhere and let Potter sleep in peace. 

He finished his tea where he was, and didn't move after either. 


	6. Chapter 5

Waking up with Potter half on top of him wasn't something he'd ever expected to happen. But he had to admit as he wriggled out from underneath him, that he didn't mind exactly either. It almost felt right. 

It was while he was brushing his teeth, thankful that both Potter and Teddy were still asleep, that realisation struck. It wasn't just that Potter was attracted to him, it was that he was attracted to Potter.

"Okay, Draco, you're a Malfoy, you can do this." He told himself with a mouth full of toothpaste, though he wasn't too sure what it was that he was meant to be doing. 

He padded to his bedroom and changed his clothes out for clean ones, and then headed for the kitchen. There were no signs of life from the living room or Teddy's room and he wasn't about to poke either bear. He needed to get his bearings. 

So that's what he did while he started breakfast. What he knew: he was attracted to Potter. What he thought he knew: Potter was attracted to him. What he wanted: he wasn't sure. The thought of something being there was... well it wasn't something that he had ever given much thought to. He'd always known he'd marry Pansy, as their parents had arranged when they were a year old. That had been simple, easy. Passionless, but companionable. It also ended as soon as Voldemort was overthrown. 

"That smells great, when did you learn how to cook?" Potter's voice was sleepy and as Draco glanced over his shoulder at him, he saw that half of his hair was sticking straight up. It was entirely too adorable, Draco thought with a huff as he turned back to the hob. 

"I've been living here without magic on a Ministry stipend for three years. It's cook or starve." He said, though the venom he might have put in his voice before was absent now. 

Potter let out a sigh at that and shook his head a little. "It sounded like no punishment at all, back then." He said as he sat down at the table, tapping his fingers on the surface. 

Draco's knuckles went white around the handle of his spatula. "Because obviously I needed to be punished. I couldn't possibly be anything other than evil, relishing in the pain of my victims. Has it ever occurred to you, Potter, that I didn't want any of it? That by the time I managed to think for myself thinking for myself could get me, my parents, my friends, killed?" All the venom that had been missing from before piled on now. "Did you ever think that maybe losing my entire family, most of my friends, was punishment enough?" He turned off the flames, shaking his head.

He crossed his arms over his chest to hide how much his hands were shaking. He hadn't thought about it for so long, had just focused on trying to salvage some kind of life for himself. And now, now that he might finally have something to look forward to, Potter thought he got off easy? 

The expression on Potter's face stole his thunder; it was a mix of horror and guilt. "No. I didn't." Potter whispered, avoiding eye contact. "You were always so.. arrogant. I thought you-" Potter cut himself off and shook his head. "I'm sorry."

Draco huffed at that. He couldn't accept the apology, couldn't just drop it all. not when he was still shaking. "Make us a pot of tea, would you? I'm going to get Teddy up." And he fled to Teddy's room, where he closed his eyes and breathed deeply, counting his inhales and exhales until he reached thirty. 

When he opened his eyes again, Teddy was standing on his bed and watching Draco closely. Draco rolled his eyes a little as he stepped closer to the bed. "Blue or purple?" He asked, holding up two sets of clothes he'd laid out the night before, one with a purple and one with a blue shirt. 

"Purple!" Draco should have known, really. Still, he helped Teddy change, promised him a sweet for his dry diaper, and then they left the room to go have breakfast. 

Potter had actually made himself useful by setting the table and plating the food Draco had cooked. He offered Draco a tentative smile as he and Teddy appeared before his attention went to his godson. 

They entertained each other while Draco mostly watched them interact, internally mulling over if he wanted to do anything at all about his earlier realisation. For now, he was more than content to watch the two interact. He supposed that was a pretty big sign that his subconscious had already made a decision.

He sipped his tea to hide the satisfied smile that realisation brought him as he watched Potter get to his feet and stretch while Teddy ran to fetch more tissues, though Draco didn't feel sick anymore. 

"Draco?" Potter shuffled from foot to foot as he hovered halfway between the kitchen and living room, waiting for Draco's questioning hum before continuing. 'Why didn't you kick me out last night?"

Draco sipped his tea again to buy himself a few seconds to decide what to do. "Because I didn't want to." Honesty was a tactic he surprised himself with as he got to his feet to put his late and mug into the sink for washing up later.

"You should probably start calling me Harry then." Potter said, that look from before back, though this time mixed with what seemed to Draco to be an awful lot like hope. 

"If that's your way of asking me out, it's awful." Draco teased with a smirk on his face.

"That's not a no." Harry said as he stepped closer to Draco, looking over his shoulder to check that Teddy was engrossed in his cars before biting his lip. "So can I kiss you?"

Draco rolled his eyes but nodded, a part of him appreciating how much courage it took to ask, and also that Harry was curbing the whole impulsive thing to ask first. Instead of replying, he closed the distance between them and brushed their lips together, just barely. "You'll have to woo me for anything more."

A gleeful cackle sounded from behind Draco; Teddy had seen the kiss and was now clapping while jumping up and down. "Hawwy weal dad now!" He screamed over and over again.

"You deal with that, it's your fault." Draco told Harry, making sure to speak softly enough so that Teddy wouldn't hear him, before moving to the sink to do the washing up.

Harry groaned but did move to deal with Teddy's celebration. By joining it. Well, at least it wasn't at as ear splitting a volume as it had been before. 

"You two having fun?" Draco asked with a raised eyebrow as he joined them in the living room, though he'd be perfectly comfortable on the sofa instead of on the rug, thank you very much. 

"We normally have dinner as a family on Sunday at the Burrow. We don't have to let anyone know, but you're Teddy's dad now, that makes you a part of the family. Mrs Weasley's been pestering me to invite you, probably because she hopes it'll make me stop hating you."

Draco blinked slowly a couple times before nodding slowly. "I can do dinner. But-" He shook his head a little. "But this is... I'm not willing to open that up to whatever pushback we'll get from your family when it's... when it's this new." 

"Yeah, of course. Would a date on Friday help?" Harry asked with a grin and for a moment Draco was just wondering when Harry had gotten so smooth. 

"It might. You'll just have to see." Draco said, though a small smile was firmly stuck on his face now. 

"I'll ask Mrs Weasley to babysit." Harry said before hugging Teddy and dropping a kiss to the top of his head. "I'll see you Friday, Draco." He added, grinning before he headed out the door, presumably apparating straight to work. 

Their date went well that Friday. Almost too well; it left Draco waiting for the other shoe to drop, but it didn't. Harry walked him home, and kissed him softly at his doorstep. "I'll come pick you and Teddy up on Sunday?" Harry said hesitantly, but Draco shook his head.

"No, we'll just come through the floo. I- This was amazing, and I definitely want to do it again. But I don't want to risk it affecting Teddy until this is... bigger." Draco said softly as he smoothed his hands over Harry's shoulders.

Harry sighed but nodded before leaning forward to kiss Draco softly again. "I'll see you there then. I'll try and make sure people don't try to pick a fight, though from Mrs Weasley's reactions so far, I don't think you'll have much to worry about. She adores Teddy, and you too, I'm pretty sure." 

Draco wasn't sure if it was Harry's words or the kiss, but he flushed deeply and shook his head a little. "No amount of sweet talking is going to get me to invite you in tonight." He said before stepping back and closing the door, smiling to himself.

"I hope you sleep well!" Harry actually pushed open the letter box to talk to him after he'd closed the door.

"You're ridiculous, Potter." Draco was full on grinning now.

"I thought it was Harry now."

"Good night, Potter."


	7. Chapter 6

Teddy was excited all day leading up to the dinner, which helped Draco in a way. It was hard to be worried about going into the literal lion's den unarmed when his mini me was running around talking about how much Draco would love several family members for all kinds of reasons, some of them actually sounding like reasons Draco  _ would _ get along with the person, if the person wasn't a Weasley and hated his guts. 

Still, at the very least the food would be good, and he would have made a first step at not being the scary death eater or school bully, but Teddy's new, and currently only parent. 

"Gamma now?" Teddy asked after he'd obediently put his cars away and put on his shoes. 

"Yes, off to grandma's now." Referring to Mrs Weasley as 'grandma' was quite possibly the weirdest thing he was having to adjust to. 

Still, he sent a note to the Ministry through his fireplace, received a little jar of floo powder in return, and they both stepped through. The house was much busier than when he'd been there before, though a pin drop could have been heard as they stepped through.

Teddy shouted gleefully at seeing so many of his favourite people, all looking at him and started to tug at Draco's sleeve to start introducing him to everyone. Luckily, most people seemed to at least be content to be coldly polite, thought George outright refused to even acknowledge his existence there. In a way, Draco was grateful for that; if he'd decided to start pulling pranks... Well, he didn't want to think about that. 

He strangely found refuge as he was pulled into a Quidditch conversation with Charlie and Ginny, the latter of which had eyed him suspiciously for a moment before grinning to herself. He wasn't entirely sure what that was about, but he also didn't want to poke the bear. Her bat-bogey hex reputation wasn't forgotten just yet. 

He didn't see the Weasley he was most sure would make a scene, though at the same time, he hadn't when he'd dropped off Teddy a week ago. Merlin, had it only been a week? His entire life had done a backflip. He wasn't complaining, but it sure was a lot to deal with, to realise in a place where he felt like he needed to have a wand in his hand to deflect any curses being thrown his way. 

It wasn't until Mrs Weasley called everyone to the kitchen that Ron spotted him, and the glare was palpable. Even Teddy looked ready to run and hide from the anger. "Aw come on Ronniekins, it's not his fault he's pretty." It was Bill who surprisingly came to his rescue as they were both helping their respective kids into the high chairs so they could sit at the table with the entire family. 

Draco spluttered at that while Bill winked at him. He couldn't tell if he was being made fun of or flirted with. He decided on probably both as he sat down next to Teddy, trying not to look guilty as Harry sat on his other side. "I thought you were going to sit with Teddy." He hissed under his breath at Harry, who just shrugged.

The Weasley clan was loud and boisterous, and the fact that Bill, Ginny, Teddy, and Harry were all accepting of him being there, not to mention both Mr and Mrs Weasley giving their children 'I am disappointed in you' looks when they did seem to want to go against that general acceptance. All in all, it almost felt like being at Hogwarts again, though he didn't have the kind of friends he'd had there just then. 

Once dinner was done, people split into groups, some went to help with the washing up, kids were put to bed, and others gathered in the living room for a firewhiskey. Teddy was staying over at Mrs Weasley's request, and so Draco was left to flounder. 

He went outside, watching the last rays of sunshine. For the first time since he'd stepped through the floo, he could actually hear himself think. He leaned back against the house and just breathed for a little while. 

Harry joined him, handed him the glass of wine he hadn't finished during the meal. "So what do you think?" He asked as he stuck his hands in his pockets. 

"There's a lot of them. And they never shut up." Draco commented before sipping the wine slowly. "They don't  _ all _ seem to want to eviscerate me." He added, a curious note to his voice. "I would have expected more pushback than just George and Ron." 

"I think Ginny's figured it out. We did date, after all." Harry said nonchalantly, which made Draco almost inhale his wine. Harry chuckled and rubbed his back as he coughed a few times. 

"Okay now I am doubly scared of her niceness earlier. We had an actual conversation and I wasn't hexed once." Draco said once he recovered, leaning into Harry's touch, a small smile flitting across his face. 

"Harry, what the hell mate?" Of course Ron would choose that moment to step out into the garden. Draco moved to get away from Harry, but Harry had different plans; he wrapped his arm around Draco's waist. 

"I could ask you the same, Ron. You said you didn't have a problem with me being bi, or with Draco raising Teddy, being out and about." Harry's chin jutted out stubbornly.

Ron let out a frustrated sound at that and gulped down some of his firewhiskey. "That's not what this is about and you know it. But fine, play that game." He said, apparently deciding against having a drunk screaming match with Harry just then. 

"I'm sorry."

"I wish you hadn't done that."

They spoke at the same time as Draco stepped away from Harry. "I don't need you to wrangle him, I can fight my own battles, and I'd rather be grudgingly tolerated for me, than forcibly accepted for us." He didn't look at Harry as he went back inside, where he ended up having a discussion with Fleur in his okayish French that still left most of the clan lost for what they were actually talking about.

He studiously ignored Harry's attempts to catch his eye, though at a certain point there wasn't really an excuse anymore; he was one of the last people left. He'd stayed late on purpose, so as little people as possible would see him request permission to floo to his own home.

The effect though, was that it was him, Harry, and Mr and Mrs Weasley. "Now are you two done pretending you're  _ not _ made about each other? It was painful to watch." Mrs Weasley scolded as she folded her arms and tutted at them.

Draco flushed while Harry stammered out half excuses before nodding. 

"Good. Now, Teddy will be perfectly alright with us, and you two can go sort yourselves out, get on the same page." She added while Mr Weasley clapped them both on the back in turn, then awkwardly cleared his throat.

"Best of luck, boys." He said before heading to the stairs, walking a little unsteadily. 

Draco raised an eyebrow at that and turned to Harry, who just shrugged a little. "Mrs Weasley said so, so I guess you'd better take me home with you."

"Well, if Mrs Weasley said so." Draco agreed as Harry took his hand. 

"Mrs Weasley is right here and would like you two to go so she can go to bed." She said with a grin as she ushered them towards the floo. "Oh, and Draco, dear, I had a chat with the Ministry about the whole permission thing, seems like a silly rule when you have a kid to raise."

Draco got a little choked up then, it was an extension of kindness he hadn't expected, not on top of all the help she'd already given him. "Thank you." He managed eventually before Harry pulled him through the floo.


	8. Epilogue

Teddy hopped from foot to foot between them as they watched people get on the train. He was nervous, about going to Hogwarts, about people being mean like that old man had been when they'd gone shopping for the skirt he was wearing just then, and mostly about not fitting in.

"Teddy, it's time." Harry said softly as he put his hands on his shoulders and squeezed gently. "And you'll see your dad at dinner." He added in a whisper, as if it was a secret. 

In a way it was; though most everyone already knew that Draco'd been accepted as Hogwarts' new potions professor. There'd been some hubbub about it, but nowhere near as much as their wedding the year before. 

"Promise?" Teddy asked as he looked up at Draco, who gave a solemn nod. 

"Try to at least make it through the first week until someone knocks on my office door because you've pulled a prank, hmm?" George had come around in the most annoying way ever; he was determined to pull every prank possible on the entire family and usually would involve Teddy in some way.

"Loveyoubye!" Teddy said in a rush to avoid having to make that promise, almost forgetting his suitcase and running back for it. 

Harry hooked his arm through Draco's as they walked back out of the station. "Now, for that goodbye lunch..."


End file.
